I'll tell you something, and this is true: I've never been able to write a film which I didn't respect. I just can't do it. I'm very happy about all the films I haven't done.
Harold PinterRead
I think plays have nothing to do with one's own personal life. Not in my experience, anyway. The stuff of drama has to do, not with your subject matter, anyway, but with how you treat it. Drama includes pain, loss, regret - that's what drama is about!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Drama is about universal themes rather than personal experiences.
Harold Pinter emphasizes that the essence of drama transcends personal experiences and instead revolves around how one handles significant themes like pain, loss, and regret. In his view, the true art of drama lies in the exploration and representation of these profound human emotions and experiences, rather than merely reflecting one's own life situation.
Themes
DramaPainLossRegretArtExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a theatre discussion on the depth of character portrayal in modern plays.
More from Harold Pinter
All quotes →All that happens is that the destruction of human beings - unless they're Americans - is called collateral damage.
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I do tend to think that I've written a great deal out of my unconscious because half the time I don't know what a given character is going to say next.
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I never think of myself as wise. I think of myself as possessing a critical intelligence which I intend to allow to operate.
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It's so easy for propaganda to work, and dissent to be mocked.
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There are places in my heart...where no living soul...has...or can ever...trespass.
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